It was the kind of performance Alex Eala has been quietly sharpening for months: composed, clinical, and merciless when it mattered most.
In the early hours of Saturday (Manila time), the 20-year-old Filipina blitzed past American Kayla Day, 6-2, 6-3, to punch her ticket to the finals of the Guadalajara 125 Open—and one win away from her first WTA title.
The match lasted just 1 hour and 8 minutes, a crisp follow-up to her semifinal win over Italy’s Nicole Fossa Huergo, which took 89 minutes. But make no mistake—this was no wire-to-wire domination.
As has been her habit, Eala gave her opponent an early window, falling behind 0-2 in the opening set. Then she slammed it shut, stringing together six straight games—eight, if you include the start of the second set—to sweep the opener and establish command.
Day fought to level the second set at 2-all, but Eala—poised and punishing—shifted gears once again. She dropped just one more game en route to closing out the match, her eyes now firmly set on the final.
Overall, Eala fired 2 aces to Day’s 1 and converted 5 of 6 break points. Both had 2 double faults each.
Waiting for her is Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, the world No. 143—a dangerous opponent, but one Eala is more than capable of handling if her current form holds.
At stake: a major share of the $125,000 purse and precious WTA ranking points. But more than that, it’s a shot at history—for Eala, and for Philippine tennis.
